Attachment for check-writing machines.



J. E. SIMPSON & C. J. PAULSON.

ATTACHMENT FOR CHECK WRITING MACHINES. APPLECATION FILED MAR. 13, 1916.

Patented Oct. 2, I917.

45 44 3 1.9 as 20 a3 a 46' 1 a 27 WIJIVEJJ'EJ: JAMES E SIMPSON 41 39 I 5 z, W 1% CHARLES JPAULSON #ymw THEIRJA TTO/ih E Y all ' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J'A MES E. SIMPSON AND CHARLES J. PAULSON. 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. ASSIGNORS ".O TODD PROTECTOGRAPH COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER. NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Pair-loll Oct. 2, 1917.

Application filed March 13, 1916. Serial No. 83,949.

To all to hem it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMEs E. SIMrson and CHARLES J. Pnonsomboth of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Check- VVriting hlachines; and we do hereby dcclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the some, such will enable any person skilled in the art to which the invention apperteins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to printing or marking apparatus of the variety known as check protectors or check writers, and more particularly to machines of this variety in which the printing couple is constructed to emhoss or disrupt the paper printed upon in order that it may absorb the printing ink and thus render alteration of the inscription practically impossible.

In the use of machines of this kind it is sometimes attempted to raise a check upon which an amount has already been printed, by replacing it in the inachinennd printing a second inscription for a larger amount over the amount previously written. It is the object of this invention to provide these machines with a. device which does not interfere with the printing of an amount upon fresh, unbroken paper, but which operates to prevent a second impression by the machine on any check upon Which an impression has previously Iii-cu made, thus rendering it practically impossible to allcr u check in this manner. lo this end the invention provides a means noting upon the paper in the region of the printing line to engage and tear any portion of it of which the libers havibeen embossed or disrupted by a previous impression.

Other objects and advantages will appear in connection with the following detailed description of one emlhuliment of the invention illustrated in the zu'ronumnying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of the check writing nmchino in which the invention is emholiell.

Fig. 2 is a central, longitudinal section of the some in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional elevation taken substantially on Lhe line 3 -13 of Fig. 2.

Fig. -.l is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of the paper nmtilatin z device.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation, enlarged, ot' a portion of the paper mutilating device and the platen, taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a fragment: y elevation, enlarged, of the paper niulilating points as viewed from the left side of the machine in Figs. 3 and 5.

in check writing machinrs of a variety in common use, the printing surfaces of the type and platen are formed so as to emboss, or disrupt, the fibers of the paper during the printing impression to permit the paper to more readily absorb the ink and thus to increase the dilliculty of alteration. It has at times been attempted to raise a (hi-ch printed by these machines by parliall) removing the ink ol' the first impres hiuu, reinsorting the check in the machine, and superimposing a second impression upon the first one calling for the payment of a larger amount than the check was originally intended to convey. The present invention is designed to provide a device for rlucl; writinp machines which \villniutilate a heck which has once received an impress-ion. or otherwise obstruct a printing, oporalion lhl'll'oll when reinserted in the machine for lho purpose ol' printing it a second time.

This invention is capable of adaptation in on) check \vriling mnrhincs of the variety described, and in its present embodiment is shown in combination with a mai-hiuc substantially ol' the type disclosed in l H. Lrlters Patent No. 1.138330 granted Mn) *l. ll lii, lo Todd and 'liol'cl, and n brief explanation will he sullirirnl for an understanding of lhe couslruvlion and operation of this machine. Referring to l igs. l. 2 and I}. the machine comi'niscs a supporting and inclosi'ng frame having a base portion 1 and an upper portion 2, separated throughout most of their extent by :1 check receiving slot 3 above a prinliug bed 3* on the base portion of the frame. Journuled at its ends in the ends of the upper portion 2 of the frame is the main shaft 4 of the machine, supporting a yoke 5 which is longitudinally (ill Hill

slidable on the shaft. but is held against rotation therewith by means of guide rails ti on the frame and a cooperating roller T mounted on the yoke. rided with a handle h extending w ithont the casingfl, by which the yoke may he shifted longitudinally on the shaft. l.

The yoke 5 em sat-es a cylindrical type carrier 9 rotatahly anounted on the hearings 10 of the yoke so that the carrier may he shifted longitndiintlly of the shaft l h means of the sliding movement of the yoke, but the carrier is provided with a key (not shown) engaging in a keywav 11 in the shaft. 4 so that the earrier is rotated h the rotation of shaft 4. The means for rotating the shaft comprises a gear 12 tixed to the shaft and having a geared connt-etioir with the operating Cl'illlli 13 on the. exterior of the easing The type carrier is provided on its periphery with a plurality of type forms it spaced from each other longitudinali) of the earrier and rxtending in parallel relation cireumferentiall thereof. 'lhe handle 8 carries a pointer in moving over a dial lti hearing eharaeters corresponding to the types on the carrier. so that when the pointer 15 is moved into registry with one of the characters on the dial lti by means of the handle 8. the. type carrier is shifted longitudinally to bring the correspoinling t \'pe form to a common printing position near the eentcr of the machine.

The means for pressing the paper into printing, engagement with the types romprises a rotary platen wheel I? lixed on a spindle is journaled at its ends in a forked arm 1%) adjustahly attached to a shafti extending longitudinally of the. machine. Arm i9 carries an extension 21 adjacent an arm lixed on the shaft 20 and adjusting screws :3 of a t'onnnon variety are in'ovided between the extension 21 and arm 2?! for ad justing the position ol the platt-n relative to the. shalt ill. The shaft 20 is provided at its other end with an upwardly extending arm ll (Fig. 3) arranged to engage at. its upper end with a ttllli '33 Ilin'. 1) adjacent the end of the shaft i. It will now he understood that when the carrier has been shifted loin-jitndinallv lo lit-inn one of its type forms to printing position opposite the platen, and the crank I2; is. rerolr d. the ear rier will he rotated to move the selected type l'orm toward the platen wheel li'. As the t 'pe l'orni approaches the platen the lat ter is raised into position to eot'iperale in rolling engagement with the type form through a rot-hing: motion ol the shalt fi iniparted lrv means of the ram and arm ll After the impression. tillll in permits the platen to ho lowered to inactive position ltlislanliall v level with the printing hed hy means of a spring LTr'. 'lhns the rolling (to The latter is prooperation of a type form with the platen serves to simultaneously print the paper and feed it across the printing bed. The surfaces of the type forms and platen are provided with toiiperating projections, one form of whieln as shown in the illustration of the, platen in Figs. 2 and 4, comprises ribs or corrugations extending eirctnnt'erentially of the platen and the. type carrier, but it will be understood, of course, that these projections may be formed in a variety of ways. These projections on the types and platen are arranged to register or int-ermesh with each other so to break the surface of the paper during the printin impression, as fully explained in Patent. No. 1138330 referred to above.

The means for guiding the paper during its feeding movement comprises a small roller 2b jonrnaled on the printing bed tl ig. 3}, upon which is arranged to bear a resilient finger 27 fixed to a bracket. 28 on the casing. The paper is adapted to be inserted between the finger and roller which serves to hold it against inadvertent more ment on the printing bed, and means are provided for raising the finger 2}, to permit of insertion and removal of the paper, comprising an apertnred leaf :35) with which en gages a linger 50 on a. spindle 31, the latter being roelied to raise the tinger'ZT by means ol an arm 33 connected to the spindle and to a plunger :33 extending without the casing, as disclosed in the patent referred to above, so that a more detailed description of these parts will not he required.

Fixed at ill on the casing" 2 is a uard plate It?) to protect the work from eing smeared hy the inked type, the guard being provided above the platen with a slot 36 sli; -htl ider than the surface of the platen, o that as the latter rises it presses the Work slightly through the slot into position for engagement with the type.

The t'lilljussillg' detecting device for preventing the printing in the ntarhine of paper previousty einhossed or disrupted by an 1m pression comprises a sprin g plate 37 pr0- vided with depending points 38. the plate hein; supported lo the guard plate 35 and located in the slot Jvli in the latter so that when the paper is raised by the platen the points 38 hear resiliently upon the upper surface of the paper just hefore the latter reathes the priutint couple as illustrated in Fig TI.

l ix'ed on the upper side of the platen arm ll! is'a ln'aclu-t Z59 pirotally supporting an upwardly extendinp needle 4. This needle is mounted on a spindle H t-arried in the ln'at'ltet Ill and the extended end of the spindle carries a leaf spring 4) enga ing a lug +2 on the needle. thus holding the alter, yieldiuglv, in suhstantiallr vertical positioin as shown in Fig. 5, where the paper is repre- 13G sented by the numeral 43. n the normal positions of .the parts, the, laten and the needle 40 being in lowereil position, and the part 38 smnewhat elevated above the printing bed, the work may be freely inserted in the machine between the members of the printing couple.- At the h ginning of'the printing operation the plat n and needle 40 rise, carryz'lig the work into contact with the detecting part 38 above the work, needle 40 being brought by the feeding movement of the work to the inclined posltionshown in Fig. 5, so needle 40 engages the work yieldingly from below and the art 38 from above. New work with uhembossed surface feeds freely between detecting parts 38 and 40, but if the work has been previously embossed or disrupted, as by a protective impression of the character described, the pressure of needle 40 and of the part 38 on the work, causes them to hook the disrupted fibers and thus engage and mutilate or tear the paper in that portion which has previously been impressed, so that the feeding movement of the paper is obstructed or else the paper is effectually destroyed. The

points are placed so close to the printing couple thatit is' difficult to tamper with them in a manner to prevent their operation.

A means is provided to coiiperate with the printing couple tq feed the Work more posi* tively through the machine comprising a. small gear 44 fixed to the platen s indle and meshing with a similar gear 45 iced on a spindle 46 'journaled in the arms of a substantially U-sha'ped swinging frame 47 which is pivotally supported at one end on the platen spindle 18 and resiliently supported at its other end by a spring 48 fixed on the base 1. The gear 45 meshes with a gear 49 fixed on a spindle 50 which is of spring 48. When the p aten is raised, its

spindle 18 and the spring 48 raise frame 47'and carry Wheels 51 against the guard plate 35 thus r'essing the paper between the wheels and tie guard. As the platen is rotated by the engagement therewith of the rolling type forms, the gearing described serves to rotate the wheels 51 and thus assist in. feeding the paper through the machine.

The operation of the machine, briefly, is as follows: The plunger 3-; having eon depressed to raise the finger 27, the check is inserted in the slot 3 at thc' right side of the machine so lhat the left end of the check lies on the printing bed above the platen wheel. The handle 8 then moved to select plunger 33 having, -br-en released after lhe location of the paper in the machine, and the (rank 12, is 'ihou rolated to n'int and 1, feed the check lhrougl'i the mac inc. As i already described. if the line provided for receiv ing the inscription of the amount on the check has been previously marked, with an impression, the points of the mutilating W device immediately sink into the paper as a the disrupted portion passes toward the platenand obstruct the feeding of thecheck or else effectually mutilate it in the mannerv described. The device thus makes it impossible to alter the inscription of a check by suporposing on any portion of the inscription a second impression to make the check call for a larger amount than was originally intended to be conve ed.

Having thus descri ed our invention, what. we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The combination with a marking apparatus including work embossing parts; of an embossing detecting device including a; work engaging part below the work for detecting and touring a previously embossed portion thereof.

The combination nith a printing ma 95 chine adapted to disrupt the paper during the printing operation of: a device comprising a pointed member l'or engaging the paper from above; and also a poinlod mvn|- her for engaging the paper from below, said 100 points operating to tour a previously disruptod portion of the paper to prevent a second pg'inting impression lhorcon.

3. The combination with a priming niaehino provided will: a l po form and platen having a l'l'lilllVl' movonn-nt lo impress the paper, and adapted in di rnpl2 the latter by said impression; of a devil-ooomprising a part adapted to be brougbl inlo (fUHlJlCll with the pa or by said rrlalivo movement of lzhe 1m movablh parts, and lo engage and tour '1. portion of lhe paper disrnptml'by a previous impress-ion lo prevent a second in! prrssion on the paper.

4. The combination with a priming [H21 chine provided with a typo form, and L platen movable into printing roiipcraljmi with said form, said form and pinion being adapted to disrupt'the paper during lhe printing operation; of a device having a parl adnplcd lo be moved into contact with said paper from below by [he movement of sl'lid platen, and to engage and tear a por I lihn ol" lho paper disruplcd by a previous prevent a sorond impression 25 clnne provided with a. typo form and platen having a. relative movement to impress the paper, and adapted to disrupt the latter by i said impression; of a device comprising a p] urahty of parts one of which 1S movable by said relative movement of the type form and platen. said parts being adapted to contact with the paper from opposite sides and to engage and tear a portion of the paper disrupted by aprevious impression to prevent a second impression on the paper.

6.- The combination with a printing machine comprising a pri'ntin couple the members of which are relatively movable to print and disrupt the paper, and means for feeding the Work between the members of the-printing couple; of a pointed part movable to engage the paper from below by said relative movement of the members of said printing coupleya'nd adapted to yield to permit said paper to be fed but to bear against said paper during the feeding movement in order to engage and tear a portion of the paper disru ted by a previous impression o the mac ine.

JAMES E. SIMPSON. CHARLES J. PAULSON.

\Vitnesses:

J. U. LAMOREAUX, H. S. RIDER. 

